Drive my car, please

This story is about the economy, the environment, and the philosophy of sharing. But to get there, we’re going to begin at the movies.

There’s a scene in the 1986 movie “Ferris Beuller’s Day Off” where Ferris convinces his friend Cameron to let him borrow his father’s car. Maybe you remember it.

CAMERON: The 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California. Less than 100 were made. My father spent three years restoring this car. It is his love, it is his passion…

FERRIS: It is his fault he didn’t lock the garage.

In the movie, Cameron says his dad never even drives the car – and Ferris considers that enough of a reason to borrow it for the day.

FERRIS: Look, this is real simple: whatever miles we put on … we’ll take off.

CAMERON: How?

FERRIS: We’ll drive home backwards.

Okay. Stop. Think about how much you drive your car. You might drive to work – then you just park your car all day while you’re inside. Or you leave town for a few days – then don’t use your car for the next three weeks. Meanwhile, plenty of other people don’t have cars, but sometimes need them.

FERRIS: Cameron, I’m sorry, but we can’t pick up Sloan in your car. Mr. Rooney would never believe Mr. Peterson drives that piece of shit.

CAMERON: It’s not a piece of shit.

FERRIS: It is a piece of shit. Look, I don’t even have a piece of shit, I have to envy yours.

Now you don’t have to envy people who have cars. Three new companies in the Bay Area are trying to match unused cars with people who can use them – it’s called carsharing. So you, with that car in the garage, can make a few extra bucks. And you, who need a car … well, you might get to take your neighbor’s Ferrari out for a spin.

FERRIS: The question isn’t what are we going to do, the question is, what aren’t we going to do? If you had access to a car like this, would you take it back right away? … Neither would I.